In today's society, many of us feel dissatisfied with our declining quality of life. The mounting pressures of a deteriorating economy are causing widespread anxiety and anger as we worry about our financial (in)stability, watch our 401K accounts shrink and in general fear what the future has in store for us. When we are blasted from our comfort zones in this way, lots of us begin to search for answers and solutions to these pressing personal problems. On the other hand, when the economy is on a nice even keel most of us are content with the status quo, and maybe assume that it will last forever.

When life comes along and literally "tosses" us out of our comfort zone we are then compelled to think about ways to change... OK, now we desperately want to improve ourselves and our current situation! As retirement nears, those individuals who have reflected and adapted to todays economic demands, will be well-equipped to handle the future. Yet others... some of whom feel they have remained unscathed, will soon find themselves out in the frigid cold as they inevitably stumble upon the fact that they are ill-prepared for economic reality.

A good way to think of this scenario is to visualize the temperature control system in your house. When you become too hot or too cold you adjust the thermostat in your house to a comfortable setting. The heating or cooling system comes on until the desired temperature is reached and then shuts off, remaining idle until the temperature deviates once again from that setting. This reminds us of someone who essentially "shuts off" when they become comfortable and feel no need to change unless they are removed from that area of economic comfort. By that time the fix is tougher, and the system has to play "catch up".

The same applies to your life. If you set ambitious goals for yourself you will be forced to stretch yourself and work hard to attain those goals. If you allow yourself to remain stagnant, then sure as the sun rises, somewhere in the future you will fall short of the expectations you originally set for yourself. The solution is time tested and straightforward. Set hard to reach goals for yourself and you will never fall victim to a dormant, unprepared lifestyle.